NFF CEO Mike Guerin, flanked by representatives of supporting organisations including Cotton Australia CEO Adam Kay (sixth from left) and NSW Farmers president Rebecca Reardon (fourth from right) addresses media at Parliament House in Canberra this week on the visa issue. Photo: Supplied

COTTON Australia has joined other peak industry bodies calling on the Federal Government to provide immediate clarity on changes to the Working Holiday Maker visa program, warning uncertainty is putting pressure on seasonal workforce planning ahead of the busy harvest and summer periods.

Cotton Australia chief executive officer Adam Kay joined representatives from across agriculture, tourism, accommodation and business at Parliament House yesterday as part of a united call for the government to restore timely and predictable processing of visas.

They also asked the government to explain changes already made, and consult affected industries before further reform to the Working Holiday Maker program, which representatives said plays a critical role in regional Australia, supporting seasonal workforces, and filling gaps in the local labour market.

According to the Federal Government’s Department of Home Affairs website, Australia’s reciprocal WHM program has been fostering stronger links between young people from Australia and around the world since 1975.

“It allows young adults to have a 12-month holiday, during which they can undertake short-term work and study,” the website states.

“The WHM program now includes over 40 partner countries or jurisdictions in two visa subclasses, the Working Holiday (subclass 417) visa and the Work and Holiday (subclass 462) visa.”

Needed to support local labour

Mr Kay said the cotton industry depends on a reliable seasonal workforce, particularly during planting, irrigation, picking and ginning operations.

“Most of our cotton growing regions just don’t have the local labour available to fill those seasonal roles which is why backpackers and Working Holiday Makers play such an important role in our industry,” Mr Kay said.

“Working Holiday Makers account for around 25 percent of the cotton workforce and when the ability to access those workers is restricted, it puts additional pressure on our growers to be able to get a crop in the ground and pick it in a timely manner.

“A majority of growers will be looking to start planting in October, so it’s critical that the government address these delays now.”

Cotton Australia chair and Leeton, New South Wales, grower Liz Stott was one of 24 industry leaders to sign a letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese regarding the changes to the WHM program earlier this month.

The letter highlighted the importance of the program and called for any reform to be developed through consultation with the industries most affected.

Ms Stott relies on WHMs in her own farming business, usually employing two workers during the picking season.

“They come and work for us during picking when you need a lot of hands on deck but you don’t have enough work for them for the rest of the year,” Ms Stott said.

“We’ve had a really good experience employing Working Holiday Makers.

“They fit into our workforce really well, suiting the seasonal nature of our business.”

Ms Stott said this is reflective for growers across the region, but especially the local gins which rely heavily on seasonal workers.

Important off-farm too

Southern Cotton general manager Kate O’Callaghan said the business generally requires an additional 50-60 workers during ginning season, with backpackers usually making up about 90pc of this workforce.

AgriLabour Australia helps supply workers to cotton gins throughout the country and estimates that around 50-70pc of the seasonal ginning workforce is made up of WHMs and other overseas workers.

“These workers are particularly important in filling seasonal and operational roles, allowing gins to scale their workforce up during the cotton harvest and ginning period,” AgriLabour regional manager Michelle Sleeth said.

“The reliance on these workers is especially significant for regional and remote gins, where attracting sufficient local workers during the short, intensive ginning season can be challenging.”

NFF strengthens call, NSW Farmers weighs in

National Farmers’ Federation CEO Mike Guerin said WHMs are essential to maintaining Australia’s food and fibre production, filling around one in seven farm jobs nationally and helping farmers get crops harvested.

“By restricting access to this workforce, the consequences don’t stop at the farm gate,” Mr Guerin said.

“They are already being felt in regional communities and supply chains and before long, they will be felt at the checkout; food insecurity will plague even more Australian consumers.

“These changes are also creating health and safety risks for farmers and workers who are juggling unsustainable workloads.”

NSW Farmers president Rebecca Reardon was also in Canberra this week to lobby the Federal Government over the visa issue.

Farmers plan their workforce needs months in advance, and they need confidence the workers they have lined up will actually be able to be here when they are needed,” Ms Reardon said.

“Right now, there are grain growers preparing for harvest who have already made arrangements with international workers, but delays in visa processing are putting those plans at risk.

“That uncertainty puts enormous pressure on farming businesses at precisely the time they need certainty most.”

“A crop won’t wait because a visa application is sitting in a queue.

“When harvest arrives, farmers need workers on the ground and ready to go.

“Working Holiday Makers make up around 44pc of the horticulture peak harvest workforce; without them, crops go unharvested and food prices rise.”

Impact beyond agriculture

The Tourism & Transport Forum, Accommodation Australia, and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry have joined with the National Farmers Federation, NSW Farmers, and other agricultural bodies in calling for NFF and

TTF CEO Margy Osmond said WHMs are not just critical to addressing workforce shortages but also drive significant visitor spending across the country as we head into our peak summer travel season.

“If the government is looking for a reason why Working Holiday Makers matter to Australia, I can give them a very simple answer: $4.4 billion; that is what these visitors spent in Australia last year, not just in our capital cities but across regional areas,” Ms Osmond said.

“These are high-value international visitors who are not just filling workforce gaps but are booking accommodation, eating out, taking tours and travelling around the country.

“Australia has spent years trying to attract these young travelers in a highly competitive global environment, so our message to the government is clear: please turn the tap back on.”

Source: Cotton Australia, Federal Government, National Farmers Federation, NSW Farmers